Matter Of Time
by Yoshhh
Summary: After the fight with Pacey at the prom, Joey falls off the yacht only to wake up in the past (P/J)
1. Default Chapter

**Matter Of Time**

**Part 1**

** Author's Note: I watched Peggy Sue got married and was bored out of my mind. So I wrote a fic. Same idea as the movie. Hope it won't be too confusing. **

**~*~**

**"When I'm with you, I feel like nothing. I feel like I'm nothing." Pacey shouted angrily.  
"That's why I flinch when you come to touch me. It's why I never touch you. Why I never even think about it." He had a look of disgust on his face, which sent chills down her spine.  
"Because when I start to, it just reminds me that I'm not good enough."  
"You done?" Joey asked stiffly.  
"Done? Oh no, I'm not done. I'm just getting started."  
"Well, you can stop right now." She tried to say with the last ounce of dignity she had left.   
"You can go to hell." She walked past him and fled to the upper deck, needing to get away from the pitiful looks from the spectators.   
She could hear someone walk after her and she foolishly hoped that it was Pacey.  
"Joey." That was not the voice she wanted to hear.   
"Joey." He repeated.  
She spun around fast.   
"He humiliates me in a room full of people, and it's not even true." She lashed out.  
"It's not who I am." She said a little more softly this time.  
"I know." Dawson said, putting his hands on her shivering arms.  
"I mean, I don't understand why he would say all that because that's not who I am." She slowly shook her head.  
"I know." He tried to reassure her.  
He pulled her into his arms, letting her rest her head on his shoulder.  
"I just" She stammered.   
"I just want to be alone." She pulled away from him and walked away. **

**~*~**

**  
She hung her head low as couples whispered when she walked by. She couldn't believe this was how her senior prom was ending. She held the thin wrap closer to her body and leaned against the rail.   
"Joey?"  
She quickly dried her eyes. "Jen?"  
Her friend was bobbing her head. It didn't take long for her to notice how intoxicated she was.  
"Jen, you should get down from there. You could fall." She stepped towards her carefully.  
"You're just as boring as Drue." Jen giggled.   
"You should shut up and join me." She patted the railing beside her.  
Joey couldn't help, but smile. "Falling into the cold ocean water would actually be the perfect ending to this night."   
"You won't fall. I'll make sure." The blonde smiled widely.  
"What the hell, the night can't get any worse than it already has. Maybe the icy water will help clear my head." Joey muttered as she climbed over the rail ever so carefully.   
She knew she was making a colossal mistake as she sat down next to Jen.   
"Where's Drue?" Joey asked her, gripping the rail tightly.  
"Where's Pacey?" Jen shot back, shutting Joey up.  
"I guess this year wasn't quite a success either."   
"No." Jen shook her head sadly at the memory of Henry.  
"We should've come together." Joey smiled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.  
"Too bad there won't be another prom." Jen sighed.  
"I just want to go home."   
"So soon?" Jen said sarcastically.  
"At least can we go somewhere where my feet can touch the ground?" Joey asked.  
"Only because you are my date." Jen swung her legs around and hopped off safely back onto the deck.  
Joey bit her lips. Suddenly getting back on the ground seemed like an impossible task.  
She placed one leg over the railing then was about to bring the other one over when she felt her foot slip. She tried to reach for the rail, but it was too late.**

**~*~**

**Joey stirred a little and cringed as she felt a sharp pain shoot up her left arm.  
"Joey?" A young boy's voice called out.  
She tried to open her eyes, but everything seemed blurry.  
"Peter!" The boy shouted with fear.  
She heard footsteps.   
"What happened?" Another voice asked.  
"She jumped off the swing." The boy replied.  
Swing?   
She tried to get up, but fell back. The last thing she remembered was Pacey shouting at her, then Dawson running after her.   
No, she was sitting with Jen on the rail.   
Was she dead?   
"Joey?" The boy shook her softly.  
She tried once again to open her eyes.  
"She's awake!" He shouted with relief.  
"Dawson?" She choked out.  
This couldn't be Dawson. This boy was barely thirteen!  
"You're not brain damaged." He hugged her with happiness.  
It was Dawson all right.  
He slowly helped her up to a sitting position. She looked around desperately, scared out of her wits.  
Where was she?  
"Joey?" It was the other boy. He looked familiar too. "I'll go get mom."   
"Everything's going to be alright. Mrs. Masik will take you to the hospital." The blonde boy said in a soothing voice.   
"Mrs. Masik?" She croaked out.  
"Yes. Peter's mom." He frowned a little.  
Suddenly her surrounding was all too familiar.   
She brought her right hand to pinch herself to make sure that she wasn't dreaming, but froze.  
Her fingers weren't long and beautiful anymore. They were chubby and small!  
"Dawson?" She held onto his arm tightly.  
"Joey? Are you okay?" He asked nervously.  
This couldn't be what she thought it was. She was thirteen again.  
"Mrs. Masik!!!!!!" Dawson called out. "Mrs. Masik!!!!!!!"  
She sat on the ground, stunned.**

  


  
**Yoshhh **


	2. 2

**Matter Of Time**

**Part 2**

** Author's Note: I watched Peggy Sue got married and was bored out of my mind. So I wrote a fic. Same idea as the movie. Hope it won't be too confusing. **

**~*~**

**Joey followed Dawson as they walked out of the hospital.  
"It's not all that bad, Joey. You've got an awesome cast!" He tried his best to cheer her up.  
"Yeah. Awesome." She gave him a weak smile.  
The doctor said that her arm was broken and that she would have to wear the awful chunk of plaster for a couple of months. Mrs. Masik was kind enough to sit with them and call her house, but Joey politely refused her offer to take her home.  
"It will be so cool. All the kids will want to sign your cast." He rambled on.  
She didn't hear a word he was saying because she was still trying to figure out what had happened.  
How did she go from her senior prom to Peter Masik's backyard?  
"Joey?" He waved a hand in front of her face.   
"Earth to Joey." He wheeled his bike towards her, got on then waited for her.  
"Sorry." She absently scratched cast as she got on the back seat.  
"Can I be the first person to sign your cast?" He turned around and asked excitedly.  
"I don't think I want it signed by anyone. It's enough of an eyesore already." She saw the hurt look on his face.   
"Bessie wouldn't like it." She quickly added.  
He gave her a confused look, which quickly turned into awe. She followed his gaze to the Rialto across the street and smiled as she saw the black movie poster with a dinosaur skeleton smack dab in the middle of it.  
"Breathe Dawson, breathe." She teased.  
"Joey, you don't understand! I've been anticipating the sequel for so long. May is too far away." He paused.   
"Joey?" He nudged her with his shoulder.   
"Sorry." She hung her head.  
"You don't have to be sorry. What were you looking at? The English Patient?" He eyed the poster skeptically. "Looks incredibly boring to me."   
"Enough to make one fall asleep." She smiled sadly.  
"We can watch it if you really want to."   
She shook her head with a sigh. "I just want to go home."**

**~*~**

**"So I'll see ya tomorrow then. You are coming to school right?" Dawson asked her as they skidded to a stop.   
"Like Bessie would ever let me skip a day of school." Joey rolled her eyes as she got off the bike.  
"I swear that fall must've done something to your head." He shook his head then rode off.  
She turned around to face the old house that stood where the B and B used to be. Or was it the other way around?   
She chuckled at her own confusion and made her way up the porch. The door creaked open as she turned the discolored doorknob slowly.   
Each step was a step into the past.   
She traced the picture frames that hung on the wall with her fingers. Bessie had decided to put those down when their mother died. It just got too painful so the two sisters gathered the memories of their childhood and packed it neatly in a box, which sat in the dusty attic.  
She smoothed her wrinkled shirt, nervous and scared. She felt like an intruder in her own house.   
"Joey?" A soft voice called out.  
Her throat tightened, unable to answer to the calling of a ghost.  
"Honey, is that you?" Soft footsteps could be heard from the kitchen.  
Joey took a few steps forward.  
"Mom?" She asked in a pained whisper.  
The kitchen door swung open and Joey found herself staring into the eyes of Lillian Potter.  
"Oh honey, your arm." She quickly ran to her side, pulling her into a warm embrace.  
"Mom?" Joey repeated in a daze.   
She buried her face in her mother's hair, breathing in the scent she had tried so hard to remember.  
"You're here." Joey murmured under her breath.  
"I was here all along." She chuckled softly.  
"If only." Tears spilled down her cheeks and she didn't bother to wipe them.   
"Are you okay?" Her mom pulled away with a worried look on her face.  
Joey took this opportunity to get reacquainted with the smooth curves on the face that resembled hers.  
"Maybe we should get you to bed." Concern was etched all over her face.  
They slowly rose to their feet with Joey resting on her mother's tall frame and climbed up the narrow staircase step by step.  
Her mother pushed a door open with her long slender arm and guided her into the bedroom.  
Joey inhaled sharply as the wooden floor groaned under her weight. There had been a time when she had each and every creak memorized in this house, but when they moved it seemed useless to carry those memories with her.   
"Come on honey." Her mother was holding the blanket back, waiting for her to slip into bed.  
She ran her finger along the baby blue sheet before settling in.  
"Get some rest." Her mom pulled the blanket up to her neck then slowly stroked her long hair with her graceful hand.  
"Will you stay with me? Until I fall asleep." Joey asked sheepishly.  
"Of course I will." She sat down on the edge of the bed and held her youngest daughter's hand.  
Joey brought their laced hands to her nose and buried her face into the pillow, hiding the tears, which flowed freely from the corner of her eyes.**

**  
~*~**

**Joey lifted a heavy eyelid as the bed shifted from under her.   
"Sorry, didn't mean to wake ya." A skinny girl with short curly hair sat at the foot of her bed.  
"Bessie?" She brought her left hand to rub her eyes.  
"I wouldn't do that." The girl said flatly.  
Her cast, it was going to take some getting used to.  
"I told you not to jump off swings, not that I am worried or anything. Mom thinks it's my fault because I left you and Dawson there alone." She rolled her eyes.  
"I'll tell mom it wasn't your fault." Joey couldn't help, but grin at her sister's effort to mask her love.   
"Like that would ever happen." Bessie said with a hmph.   
She cast her head down in shame, having remembered the countless times she had told on her sister just to get her in trouble.  
"But I don't care." Bessie got up to stand in front of the mirror and fluffed her short curls dramatically. "When I grow up I'm going to be a famous architect and I am going to get out of this boring town."  
Joey swallowed hard as she listened to her sister ramble on about a dream, which would never come true.  
"What? You don't think I can make it?" Bessie asked, noticing her silence.  
"No." She shook her head. "You'll be amazing."   
"Who knows, maybe I'll take you along for the ride." Bessie teased.  
"Maybe." Joey said sadly, already knowing the fate that would fall upon the two sisters.**

  


  
**Yoshhh **


	3. 3

**Matter Of Time**

**Part 3**

** Author's Note: I watched Peggy Sue got married and was bored out of my mind. So I wrote a fic. Same idea as the movie. Hope it won't be too confusing. **

**~*~**

**Joey swung her backpack behind her and walked down the stairs. Despite her cast, her mom insisted that she don't miss a day of school. She skipped down the stairs with excitement. It was like the first day of school all over again. She sighed as she caught a whiff of her mother's delicious pancakes. Oh, how she missed those. Sure, Bodie made incredible blueberry pancakes, but nothing like mom's.  
Her breath caught in her throat when she swung the kitchen door open. There was mom, with her back turned, flipping pancakes. Then there was Bessie, who was pouring syrup on her breakfast. However, it was the sight of her father that made her stomach queasy.  
"Morning." She muttered under her breath as she quickly slipped the bag onto the floor and sat on the chair.  
"Morning." Her mother smiled. "You better hurry up because Dawson will be here soon."   
"Right. The Leery boy." Her father said.  
"Joey's boyfriend." Bessie teased mercilessly.  
"Stop that! He's not my boyfriend." Joey snapped.  
"Joey and Dawson." Her sister continued to torture her.  
"Shut up." She raised her voice a little.  
"Girls." Their father cleared his throat.  
"Sorry." They said at the same time.  
She didn't even know why she let Bessie get to her like that.  
"Mike, they are just teasing." Her mother placed the plate of pancake in front of them.  
"I know." He leaned over and brushed his lips against hers.  
Joey tried her best to keep her breakfast from spewing out onto the table. The feeling of betrayal was stronger than before. All the kisses didn't mean a thing. He would end up cheating on his wife.  
"Gotta go." She got up fast.   
She could see Dawson waiting from the kitchen window.   
She ran out of the house, with her bag slapping against her back.  
"Hey Joey." He gave her a smile. "How's the arm?"  
"Okay." She perched herself onto the back seat of his bicycle.  
"Did you do your homework?" He asked.  
"I don't know." Honestly she didn't know if she did. Besides, she could do them during study hall. Being thirteen again sure did have its benefit.  
"Pacey called and asked if he could copy it from you." Dawson continued.  
Pacey. Between seeing her mother again and all this chaos she had forgotten about him. She was going to see him again. Well, sure he would be thirteen again, but he was still Pacey.  
"That tickles." Dawson squirmed.  
She realized that she was squeezing Dawson's waist hard.   
"Sorry." She said sheepishly.  
Truth was she could barely contain her excitement. She was going to see Pacey.**

**~*~**

**Joey dragged her bag along the hallway floor as she made her way through the crowd of kids. School couldn't be more boring and Pacey was nowhere to be found.  
"Need help with that?" Dawson asked from behind.  
"No thanks." She let out a frustrated sigh.   
"Have you seen Pacey?" She asked with hope.  
"For the hundredth time, no." He replied. "Why do you look so concerned?"   
"I'm not concerned. Didn't you say he wanted to copy my homework?" She explained.  
"Besides, you guys have the next class together. He can copy it off you during class." He pointed out.  
"Right." She reached for her class schedule. "Off to class." She trotted off without looking back.  
"Joey, you still have ten minutes." He called out after her.  
She waited as students slowly poured out of the History class. Finally there were just a handful of them left. She sat herself onto a chair and waited.   
During that time, she had been asked to move four times. Apparently she was sitting on other people's seats. There sure weren't any name-tags on the desks, but whatever.  
The bell rang and Pacey still wasn't in class. Her fingers strummed against the wooden desk as she waited impatiently. The teacher started calling out names when Pacey poked his head.  
"Sorry." He gave an apologetic look to the teacher.  
"Thank you for joining us Mr. Witter." The teacher said lightly.  
He quickly sat on the chair next to hers as the teacher resumed what Pacey had interrupted.  
"Nice cast you've got there." He greeted her.  
She tried hard to wipe the silly grin she had on her face, but it was useless.   
There was Pacey, sitting next to her with the familiar mischievous glint in his eyes.   
"Quit staring." He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.  
His hair was shorter, but he still looked the same. He was still the Pacey she had fallen in love with and she could feel herself falling all over again.  
"Got the homework?" He hissed.  
She quickly rummaged inside her bag and brought out a notebook, which had 'History' written across it.  
"Here." She handed it to him with a smile.  
"Potter, quit acting weird. You're scaring me." He pretended to shudder.  
There was that famous wit of his.   
"Eyes at the front please." The teacher cleared his throat.  
She blushed a little and faced the blackboard.  
"Somehow you are always getting me into trouble." He said with a smirk.  
Was he this annoying back then?   
She furrowed her eyebrows and kept her eyes trained ahead.  
"What's wrong? Little Josephine Potter is angry?" He egged her on further.  
That was it. Pacey in the future may be the sweet perfect boyfriend, but this Pacey was just a brat.  
"Shut your stinky mouth Pacey." She growled.  
"Ooh. There's that wench I've come to love." He chuckled with satisfaction.  
"Say another word and I promise I'll get you into even deeper trouble." She glared at him.  
"I'm so scared." He mocked.  
For the rest of the class, she ignored the words that came out of his mouth. She rested her head against the desk and sighed. It was going to be one hell of a long class.**

**~*~**

**The bell rang and Joey jumped up in her seat. She must've dozed off because the class was empty and the teacher was looking at her.  
"Ms. Potter, I would appreciate it if you did that at home." He scolded her lightly.  
"Sorry." She said sheepishly.  
She gathered her stuff and stuffed them in the bag when she noticed something different about her cast.  
Written in a bold black writing was 'Don't be so careless next time- Pacey Witter'.  
She let out a sigh. Who was she kidding? She was probably going to keep this cast forever.**

**~*~**

**Joey fidgeted on the bed and earned a glare from Dawson.   
"Sorry." She whispered.  
She forgot how much he hated having any distractions during movie night. It wasn't her fault that she had seen the damn movie four times already. She knew how it would end.   
Her eyes strayed to the foot of the bed where Pacey was slowly falling asleep.  
"Wake up monkey boy." She hissed and nudged him with her foot.  
"Ssssssshh." Dawson glared at her again.  
"Yeah. Sssssssshhhh. Some people are trying to watch a movie here." Pacey pointed out with a yawn.  
"You were sleeping." She rolled her eyes at him.  
"Potter, stop trying to lay the blame on me."   
"Pacey's right. We're trying to watch a movie here. It's typical of you to blame it all on Pacey." Dawson pressed the pause button.  
"See?" Pacey had a look of triumph on his face.  
"Shut up jail bait."   
"You shut up daddy long legs." He shot back.  
"Guys, please. I am trying to watch a movie here." Dawson sighed with frustration.  
"Keanu shoots himself after Charlize dies. He finds himself back at the courthouse on that sick, perverted teacher's case. This time he chooses not to represent him any further. There, happy ending."   
"Nice try. This movie just came out today." He said blatantly.   
"Oh by the way, did I mention that she sleeps with Al Pacino before Keanu commits her to a mental hospital?" She added him just to annoy him.  
"She would never." He crossed his arms over his chest.  
"Fine. Don't listen to me. Do whatever you want. I don't care." She snapped at him.  
"Now look who's bickering." Pacey snickered.  
"Joey, can't you keep your mouth shut for just one more hour?" Dawson pleaded.  
"Yeah Joey. Please?" Pacey stuck his lower lip out and pouted.  
"Kids." She rolled her eyes.  
"Must be PMS." Pacey said in a hushed voice to Dawson, who giggled uncontrollably before hitting the play button again.  
The next hour consisted of Dawson giving her odd looks as Charlize bared her naked body to her husband at the church.  
"Well, I'm gonna go now." Pacey rolled out of bed, as Keanu shot himself in the head.  
"But the movies not finished yet." His friend protested.  
"What's the point? We know what will happen thanks to Potter here. Besides, the nude scenes must be over now. Right?" Pacey asked her.  
"Listen, I've got a name ok? It's Joey!" She said with frustration, choosing not to answer his question.  
Although they had argued the whole night, she wasn't ready to watch him leave yet.  
"Go finish your lover's quarrel somewhere else." Dawson sighed resignedly.  
"Lover? Puhlease! Dude!" Pacey laughed hysterically.   
"Dawson, I wouldn't go out with Pacey even if he were the last guy in the world." She bit her tongue as she spat out those words.  
"Man, I can't believe you just said that! How am I supposed to sleep tonight?" He pretended to shudder.  
"Bite me, Pacey." She shot back.  
"Keep arguing like that and you guys will end up married with eight children in the future."  
"Eight?" Joey shrieked.   
"Seems like you're not protesting about the marriage part." Dawson raised an eyebrow at her.  
"She can't help it. It's the Witter charm."  
"Charm my ass." She growled a little.  
"Don't tempt me."  
"Ew. Guys! Enough is enough!" Dawson cringed. "All these sexual vibes can't be healthy."  
"Say another word and I'll maim you." She warned him with a glare.  
"Dawson, I'll see you tomorrow then." Pacey walked towards the door, opening it.   
"And Potter, I'll charm your ass some other day." He wiggled his eyebrow before disappearing out of the room.  
"Do you want a T-shirt to change into?" Dawson ejected the tape before putting it back in its cover.  
She jerked back into the present, the past, wherever this place was.  
"A T-shirt, something for you to wear to sleep." He repeated slowly as if he were talking to a child.  
"Yes, a T-shirt. I know." She rolled her eyes.  
"Don't roll your eyes or you'll get the floor." He threatened in a light tone.  
"Or maybe I'll just go to my own bed."   
"I was kidding." He chuckled nervously.  
She got up and straightened her clothes.  
"I know." She said.  
"Are you really going to leave?" He asked in a stressed voice.  
"It's not what you said. Bessie I mean, mom wants me to sleep at home today." She lied.  
"Since when?"   
"What are you? The C.I.A?" She said in a bored voice.  
"No. I didn't mean to pry. I was just curious." He explained.  
"Didn't you hear? Curiosity killed the cat." She said in her most sinister voice.  
His eyes narrowed and the only problem was that she couldn't seem to care. Her eyes were straying towards the window.  
"Dawson, I'll just see you tomorrow ok?" She said hurriedly.  
"Joey." He stopped her before she had the chance to leave. "You do know that I would never make you sleep on the floor right?" He asked in such a serious tone that she couldn't help, but smile.  
"Of course." She reassured him. "Nite."   
"Nite Joey."**

**~*~**

**She ran down the flight of stairs, occasionally knocking her cast against the wall. She wasn't sure if he would still be there. She couldn't help, but hope.  
"Pacey." She called out as she ran towards the driveway where he had parked his bicycle.  
"Pacey." She repeated a little louder this time.   
He was gone.   
"What?" A voice hissed.  
Then again, maybe not.  
"Nothing." She replied without realizing how stupid it sounded.  
"What are you doing here?" He came out of the shadows.  
"Going home." She said dryly.  
"Not sleeping over?" He asked.  
She shook her head.  
"Odd." He commented.  
"Well, get used to it." She poked him a little.  
"Stop with the abuse first." He rubbed his arm before getting on his bike.  
Somehow her chest felt heavy as she watched his back. It seemed like she could never reach him, no matter what year they were in.   
"Well?" He waited impatiently.  
"Well what?" She was confused.  
"You didn't bring your bike right? If you did, I'd love to watch you ride it with that cast of yours."   
"Offering me a ride home?" She couldn't help, but grin from ear to ear.  
"Don't read too much into it. I don't want to be responsible when they find your mangled body in the morning."   
"Whatever you say Pacey." She said sweetly, not buying a single word that came out of his mouth.  
Truth was he cared and that was all that mattered to her.  
"Let's get going then." He rushed her as she got on the back.  
"Tomorrow it will be your mangled body they will find in the creek." She spat out.  
"Bark on, Potter." He chuckled.  
"Bite me, Pacey." She whispered, hugging his waist tightly.  
"Leave me some room to breathe, will ya?" He squirmed a little.  
"Not a chance." She sighed, resting her face against his back.  
Since their break up, they had kept a distance from each other. Until this moment, she, herself, didn't really realize how much she had missed him. Sitting here, holding him was overwhelming her.   
The sound of his heart beating softly against her ear brought tears into her eyes. Tears that she had wept on the night of the prom. Tears that she promised herself she would never cry for another man again.   
"Are you sniffling?" He asked quietly.  
She quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.  
"Just got the cold." She lied for the third time that night.   
The first, being the time when she had said that she wouldn't go out with him if he were the last man on earth.   
"That's what you get for not wearing a jacket stupid. And don't wipe your boogers on my shirt!"   
It didn't matter that he called her names. He cares and that's all she needed.**

  


  
**Yoshhh **


	4. 4

**Matter Of Time**

**Part 4**

** Author's Note: I watched Peggy Sue got married and was bored out of my mind. So I wrote a fic. Same idea as the movie. Hope it won't be too confusing. **

**~*~**

**Joey tried her best to balance her lunch tray with one hand. The brown gravy sloshed up against the pile of mash potato each time she took a step.  
"Need some help?" Dawson came up beside her.  
"No thanks. I can do this." She gave him a grateful smile.  
"You know it won't kill you to ask for some help." He teased her.  
"Tell you what. You can help find us a place to sit."  
"Or we could sit where we always sit." He said simply.  
"Right." She said nervously. "Where we always sit."   
She started to walk towards the left side of the cafeteria, but Dawson stopped her.  
"This way." He steered her to an empty table on the far right of the room.  
"Right." She nodded.  
He gave her a confused look, but didn't ask her anything. They just sat down and started to dig into their food, each lost in deep thoughts.  
This morning she had found her mother bent over the sink coughing hard. Nobody seemed to think much of it except for her. Her mother took some cough drops then went back to washing dishes.   
"Joey?" Dawson interrupted her thoughts.  
"Sorry."  
"Do you want to tell me what's bothering you?" He asked gently.  
"Not really." She was grateful that he didn't push her into answering him.  
He wouldn't understand. He wouldn't even believe that she was from the future.   
Wait, that sounded way too alieny.  
She moved aside the lunch tray and laid her head on the table. She was tired and exhausted. She still didn't know what she was doing here and how she got here.   
"Joey?" Dawson nudged her.  
She sighed and turned her face towards the window. She didn't feel like talking right now. She didn't feel like anything. All she wanted to do was Pacey.  
On the other side of the window was Pacey. He was sitting on a bench, under a tree. The branches hung so close to the ground that it was easy to miss the boy who sat hidden among the shadows.  
"Where's Pacey?" She asked Dawson even though she knew the answer.   
"He never eats lunch here. He says the food tastes like crap."   
"Right." She had never noticed the fact that he never joined them for lunch.   
"He's probably chasing after some cheerleader." He chuckled.  
How could they have called themselves Pacey's friends when they didn't even know what he did during lunchtime. The worst part was that they didn't even care to find out.  
"I think I'll go now." She rose from her seat.  
"Why?"   
"Pacey's right. The food here does taste like crap." **

**She walked towards him slowly, not sure if she was doing the right thing.   
What if Dawson was right? What if he was waiting to score with some cheerleader?  
He sure wouldn't want Joey Potter hanging around him then. She hesitated for a couple more seconds before deciding to go with her gut feeling.  
"Hey Pace." She looked around for a pair of short skirt and pom-pom that he might have been trying to impress.  
He looked up at her with surprise.  
"Hhh..hey." He stuttered.  
"So this is where you spend your lunchtime. Now I just want to know why." She sat down next to him.  
"And what makes you think that I will tell you." He shifted around, uncomfortable with the question.  
"Crappy food. Dawson told me." She eased his mind.  
"Right." He nodded.  
"What about you? What are you doing here?" He turned the table around.  
She took in a deep breath. "I just wanted to see you?"   
Somehow it came out more like a question. She did want to see him. That's why she came here.  
"Alright. What did I do now?" He sighed, running his fingers through his hair.  
"Don't get all defensive on me."  
"Potter, I'm not in the mood for barbs. Just tell me what you want."  
"You." She blurted out without thinking.  
Did that just come out of her mouth? Oh yes it did because his eyes got wide and his jaw was on the ground.  
She immediately forced out a laugh.   
How could she have been so stupid? She made a show of clutching her stomach with her hands, laughing harder if it were possible.  
He quickly caught on that it was just a joke. His lips curled up before he broke into laughter too.  
She didn't know which was worse.   
Her, pretending to laugh so hard that her cheeks hurt or him, who was laughing with the loneliest look in his eyes. **

**~*~**

**Joey waited for Dawson, who was parking his bike in her driveway.  
"I'm so glad that Mr. Gordon paired us together. I could've been stuck with whatever-her-name-is. Did you see the way she was looking at me?" He said with disgust as he jogged towards her.  
"Her name is Barbara and don't think that I won't make you work hard. You won't leave unscathed." She joked.  
"Not you too." He groaned as she opened the front door to her house.  
"Hey, imagine doing the project at her house. Or even worse... bringing her over to your house." She said with her eyes wide.  
"Stop! Yuck!" He dropped his bag on the floor and covered his ears.  
"Oh shut up." She giggled.  
"I'm traumatized." He continued, wiggling around like his body had been taken over by a ghost.  
"Dawson." She held her hand up, telling him to quiet down.   
She tried to force the sound of his laughter out of her head and listen to the faint sound that came from upstairs.  
"Was that too much?" Dawson chuckled, not quite understanding that she was serious.  
She ignored him and quickly ran up the stairs.  
"Mom?" She gasped out as she reached second floor and made a quick turn towards the master bedroom.  
"Mom." She whispered softly.  
Her mother was on the bed; her frail body curled up like a fetus. Her hair was soaked with sweat and stuck to her pale face.   
"Joey, you're back from school." She managed to say as she tried to swallow a cough.  
"Let's go to the hospital." Joey said firmly.  
"No." Her mother almost shouted. "It's just a silly flu. Don't worry about it."   
Joey sat down on the bed and wiped the bead of sweat from her mother's nose.  
"How was school? Tell me about your day." She said with a smile.  
School was the last thing on her mind at that moment.   
"Please." Her mother pleaded.  
"I think Barbara likes Dawson. She kept giving him these looks during Mr. Gordon's class." Joey cast her eyes down, afraid of the tears that threatened to fall.  
"You should've seen the look on her face when Mr. Gordon paired me up with Dawson." She continued.  
Her mother smiled and urged her to go on. Joey rambled on about the insignificant events of the day as her mother slowly drifted to sleep.   
"Is she okay?" A voice whispered from behind.  
She didn't realize that he was in the room. He must've followed her.  
"She needs to go to the hospital." She led Dawson out of the room and closed the door behind her.  
"It's just a flu, Jo. Don't worry about it. It's not like she's going to die." He said lightly.  
"How can you say that?" She said angrily.  
"Joey." He was shocked.  
"Go home." She shook her head and quickly walked into her room.  
"What's going on here? What's wrong?" He ran after her, grabbing hold of her arm.  
"Do you have to ask?" She spun around so fast that her hair hit his face.  
"Yes, I do and this is not about your mother. Something is up with you. You've been acting differently. Hell, half the time I don't even recognize who you are anymore." His lips quivered as he talked.  
She pulled her arm from his grasp and walked away.   
"You wouldn't understand." She shook her head and pressed her lips together to keep from spilling the awful truth.   
"How can I when you won't give me a chance?" He said with frustration.  
"Something has happened to me." Her voice shook. "I'm not who you think I am."  
"What do you mean?"   
"The day I broke my arm"  
"At Peter's house. I remember because that's the day you started to get all weird." He nodded.  
"Falling off a boat would do that to a person." She chuckled bitterly.  
"What boat? You fell off a swing." He reminded her.  
"No, it all started with all of us on a boat." She stammered.  
"Joey"  
"No." She shook her head, remembering. "It started with Pacey."  
"Pacey?" Dawson shook his head. "What does Pacey have anything to do with this?"  
"He has everything to do with this." She said sadly.  
"Wait a minute. I see now what you are doing. You're trying to lay the blame on him again. Joey, he wasn't even at Peter's house. You're not making any sense. I think you are the one who needs to go to the hospital."  
She glared at him, angry at his lack of understanding.  
"I knew you wouldn't understand." Her eyes were wide with tears.  
"Frankly, you're scaring me." Dawson took a step back from her.  
Who could blame him? She was scaring herself too.  
"Go home. I'll see you tomorrow."  
"I don't want to leave you like this."   
"Distraught? Crazy?" She sneered.  
"You said it. I didn't." He said nervously.  
"Go home." She repeated a little more gently this time.  
"What about the project?"   
"Tomorrow." She answered flatly.  
"Call me if you need to talk."  
"I will."   
"Bye." He said sadly, before turning his back and leaving her room.  
That was the last time she ever brought this subject up with Dawson again. **

  


  
**Yoshhh **


	5. 5

**Matter Of Time**

**Part 5**

** Author's Note: I watched Peggy Sue got married and was bored out of my mind. So I wrote a fic. Same idea as the movie. Hope it won't be too confusing. **

**~*~**

**Joey was sitting on the dock in front of her house, swinging her insect-bitten bare legs, her hands tucked under her legs.  
"Sit still." Bessie ordered as she tried to braid her sister's hair.  
Joey stopped moving her legs  
"Bessie?" She said with hesitation.  
"What?"   
"Why isn't mom doing my hair today?" She asked, feigning ignorance.  
"Cause she's sick." She replied obviously.  
"Shouldn't she go to the hospital?" She further continued.  
"She's got the flu, not the plague." Bessie rolled her eyes.  
Joey took in a deep breath. This was a lot harder than she thought it would be. She had thought that maybe her mother would listen to Bessie. Now if only Bessie would listen to her.  
"I still think she should go to the hospital." She kept insisting.  
"Why don't you tell her that? Geez." She sounded annoyed and irritated.   
Because their mother was sick, Bessie had to take over the house chores, which meant taking care of her little sister. It was no secret that Bessie hated it.  
"There. Done." Bessie patted her head. "She's going to be fine. Just a stupid bug that's been going around."  
A malignant bug no less.  
"So are ya coming in or what?" She got up and brushed the dirt from her shorts.  
"Later." Joey answered as she saw Pacey approaching them from the corner of her eyes.  
"Hey." He swaggered towards them, high-fiving Bessie.  
"What are you doing here dork?" Bessie asked, not bothering to be polite.  
"Ooh. I'm scared." He walked past her.  
"Another smart ass. Great." She rolled her eyes and walked into the house.  
"What's up her butt?" He plopped down next to Joey.  
"Mom's sick so Bessie had to do my hair today."  
"Oh. She did a great job." He pointed out.  
"Yeah." She touched her hair.  
"So how's your mom? Will she be alright?" He asked, genuinely concerned.  
"I don't know." She answered truthfully.  
"Oh"  
"But that's not why you came to see me though. Right?" She changed the direction their conversation was heading.  
"I just came to see how you were doing. Is that so strange?" He shrugged.  
"Well, you haven't come over to my house alone since" She squinted her eyes and pretended to think.  
"Alright. You got me." He clasped his hands together. "Dawson..."  
"Asked you to come over." She finished his sentence. "Was he afraid to come himself?"  
"Well, you practically bit his head off the last time he came."  
"That's just his side of the story." She frowned.  
"Tell me yours."  
"I nearly bit off his head and then some." She giggled, remembering the look on Dawson's face.  
"You do know that he's freaked, right?"  
"Everything freaks our boy." She rolled her eyes.  
"I've got to admit that you're right."  
"See? We actually agree about something. Why haven't we done this before?" She was referring to them hanging out.  
"Does the term jail bait ring a bell?" He tapped her head lightly.  
"Like you didn't have names for me."   
"Hey, I was just returning the favor."   
"And I was just teasing you. Besides, a wise old man once told me that you tease the ones you love." She said suggestively.  
"Okay. Now you're teasing me." He grinned.  
Their eyes caught each other's and they fell into laughter. **

**~*~**

**Joey placed the napkin on the table as Bessie rummaged inside the brown McDonald's bag.  
Their mother was still sick in bed and so they had to settle for burgers as tonight's dinner. No one brought up the subject of hospital in the house, but everyone was worried.   
"Is she coming down to eat?"  
"Nope." Bessie answered without looking up.  
Joey sighed and sank into a chair. It was just going to be the three of them.  
"Bessie, could you warm up some soup for your mom?" Mike Potter walked into the kitchen.  
"Sure." Bessie nodded, turning on the stove.  
Silence hung in the air as the three family members went about trying to keep themselves busy so that they wouldn't have to engage in any sort of a conversation.   
"Joey, you can eat first." Bessie stirred the pot as the warm liquid simmered quietly.   
"I can wait." She replied.  
"You don't have to."  
"I can and I want to." Joey protested.  
"Girls, please. Not tonight." Their dad held up a hand as he furrowed his eyebrows.  
She had forgotten how different he was back then. Maybe it was the guilt that would later mold him into the person he would be in the future. Ever since she got here, she had made sure that she wouldn't be alone with him. It wasn't because she was afraid of shooting her mouth off at him. She was afraid of forgiving him.  
"Joey, eat." Bessie said firmly.  
Joey reluctantly grabbed her burger and sat on a chair. Her father followed suit. They both unwrapped their burger in silence as Bessie turned off the stove and poured the tomato soup into a bowl.   
"Can I go over to Dawson's?" Joey blurted out.   
She needed to get out of there fast. The quiet air was suffocating her.   
Her father looked up for a minute then nodded.   
That was all she needed. She got up from her seat immediately.  
"After you finish your dinner." He commanded.  
She sank back into the chair and munched on the burger, which suddenly looked bigger than before. **

**~*~**

**Joey swung her leg over the windowsill.  
"Hey Joey." Dawson smiled nervously as she climbed into his room.  
"Hey." She said solemnly.  
He sat quietly on his bed as she laid down next to him. She placed an arm over her forehead and closed her eyes. She could hear him inhale and exhale deeply as if he was contemplating something.  
"Are you" He hesitated.  
"What?" She half shouted frustratedly.  
"Nothing." He shook his head in a quiet voice.  
"What?" She repeated a little more gently this time.  
"Are you pissed at me?" He finally asked.  
She couldn't help, but giggle at his question.  
"Why would I be pissed at you?"  
"Because" He trailed off.  
"Because you asked Pacey to-"  
"I'm sorry." He blurted out.  
She smiled at him. "I would've done the same thing."  
"Whew." He let out a breath he had been holding.   
"For a moment there I thought you were going to go all psycho bitch on me again." He grinned.  
"Don't tempt me." She threw a pillow at him and laughed when it hit him right in the face.  
"I worry about you." He shook a finger at her.  
"I thought we've covered that topic already." She rolled her eyes.  
"I won't ask you. Tell me when you're ready to. Just don't make me wait too long." He said in a serious tone.  
"Awww. Are we having a moment here?" She giggled and gave him a bear hug.  
"Naw. A moment with you? Never!" He tried to push her away from him.  
"C'mon Dawson Leery." She refused to let him go.   
"Stop. This will kill my reputation at school." He said jokingly.  
"What reputation?" She teased mercilessly.  
Suddenly someone cleared their throat. Joey quickly pulled away from Dawson when she saw who it was.  
"Ppp...acey." She stuttered.   
"We were just..." She gestured at herself and Dawson, who didn't seem to care that they were caught in a compromising position.  
"Whoa there, Potter. Save the juicy details for the playboy mag." Pacey wiggled his eyebrows.  
She frowned a little, confused at his reaction.   
"D man, can I sleep over tonight? On the floor of course." He said obviously, glancing at Joey.  
"Trouble at home?" Dawson asked as he threw a blanket and pillow onto the floor.  
"The usual." He replied casually.  
"Right." She nodded, not really listening a word they were saying.  
He didn't seem to care at all. He didn't even blink an eye.   
"Potter?" Pacey waved his hand in front of her face.   
"I'm sorry. I'm just a little tired that's all." She faked a yawn.  
"Right." He nodded, not buying a word she just said.  
"Let's get ready for bed then." Dawson piped in, drawing the blanket back for her to get in.  
She got in bed as Pacey spread the blanket on the floor.  
"Good night." Dawson said, turning off the lamp.  
Joey closed her eyes then opened her eyes in the dark, unable to fall asleep.  
"I can't sleep." She declared, rolling onto her side.  
"Neither can I." Pacey sighed.  
"Wanna watch a movie then?" Dawson suggested.  
"No!!!" They replied in unison.  
"Alright." Dawson threw his hands up.  
"Hey Potter, do ya think he'll ever grow out of this scary Spielberg phase?" Pacey asked.  
"Ever? Nah." She giggled.  
"Har har. Very funny." Dawson tickled her side.  
"Freak." She smacked his arm.  
"Look who's talking." Pacey said from below.  
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" She frowned.  
"Aw. Don't take any offense. I mean it's been established quite a long time ago that the three of us are freaks." He replied.  
"Don't include me." Joey protested.  
"From the way you've been acting lately, I pronounce you our leader."   
"Good one, Pace man." Dawson chuckled.  
"Anytime D man."  
She rolled her eyes at them. Pace man? D man? God help her. **

  
**Yoshhh **


	6. 6

**Matter Of Time**

**Part 6**

** Author's Note: I watched Peggy Sue got married and was bored out of my mind. So I wrote a fic. Same idea as the movie. Hope it won't be too confusing. **

**~*~**

**Joey fluffed the cushion as her father switched the channel. She had given up on small talk an hour ago. Now they were just taking turn sighing.   
"So" Call it her last attempt. Last pathetic attempt.  
He didn't even turn around to look at her. He kept clicking on that remote control like there was no tomorrow.  
"Where's Bessie?" She asked.   
Her sister was hardly home nowadays and who could blame her.   
"Out." He replied obviously.  
"Right." Joey nodded.   
"Don't you have anyplace to be?" He sighed.  
"Sure." She faltered.  
She stood up quickly trying to hide the hurt on her face. She left the house, running as fast as her legs could carry her. Her hands reached for the rope that tied her rowboat to the dock. She unfastened it and hopped in. Her arms ached as she rowed fiercely towards the faraway light. She knew she was being weak. Of course she knew. Every time life threw her a curve ball, she headed for Dawson's house.   
She stopped rowing for a brief moment, staring at the house she had proudly called her own back in the days. So much had happened since then.   
"Urgh." She said with disgust.   
So much had happened, but she was still the same. The same weak person she swore she would never become. Now look at her. Rowing straight towards Dawson's house, doing exactly what everyone expected of her. Poor little Joey Potter always running straight into the comforting arms of the Leery kid. She heard what people said behind her back. Maybe she had been young and naïve back then, but she could still remember the whispers that floated around her when her mother had passed away. The Potter girl whom the Leerys had taken in out of pity, the girl who always hung around Dawson like a shadow, the girl from the wrong side of the creek. It was funny how her side of the creek had suddenly become wrong as soon as her mother was buried in the ground. Maybe motherless girls were just wrong, no matter where they lived.   
Joey buried her face in her hands. She didn't want pity. Not from anyone. Not from Dawson.   
She didn't know how long she had floated around aimlessly. She stared out at the dark water, gaining strength from a world where Dawson's house was no longer in view. **

**~*~**

**Joey rested her head against Dawson's sweaty back as he skid to a stop in front of her house.   
"Joey? We're here." He nudged her lightly with his elbow.  
"Here? Where is here?" She murmured.  
"Home." He said simply.  
"I longer know where home is anymore." She whispered softly  
"What?" He asked.  
"Nothing." She slowly got off the bike, dreading the moment she had to step inside that house.  
He waved at her and she waved back, trying stall for time.  
She placed one foot in front of the other, and then paused before taking a few steps back. The walk up the driveway took her five minutes.  
'A new world record.' She smirked to herself.   
She opened the front door and held her breath. The house was quiet like an empty house. She walked up the stairs and paused when she heard something. Had she not been listening carefully, she might have missed the whispers coming from her parents' room. She climbed up a little further so that she could hear what they were saying. Her heart pounded as she heard her father's voice.  
"I'm telling you, you should go to the hospital."  
Joey practically jumped with joy when she heard the word hospital.   
"Mike, it's just a waste of time." Her mother said.  
"Please."   
"I'm okay." She tried to convince him, but failed as she fell into another fit of coughing.   
"See?" He said half triumphantly and half worried.   
There was a long pause.  
"I'll go to the hospital, but by myself." She said firmly.   
Joey could tell that her mother still thought it was a waste of time. She only agreed to it just to shut him up. Joey didn't care. All that mattered was that she goes to the hospital so that the doctors could fix her mom back to normal.**

**~*~**

**"Are we there yet?" Joey asked anxiously.  
"You just asked me that a minute ago." Dawson said annoyingly.   
"And your nails are digging into my skin." He tried to shrug her hands from his back.   
"Sorry." She apologized.  
Today was the day her mother was going to the hospital. She was probably back at home now. Joey was prepared for the bad news that her mother had cancer. She had lived with that news for years, only now there was a chance to undo the damage that would leave her family in pieces.  
"We're hom-" Dawson started to say when Joey hopped off the bike before it had come to a complete stop.  
"What is the hurry?" He asked.  
"Bye." She yelled as she ran up the driveway.  
"Bye." He waved slowly in a confused way.  
Had she not been in a hurry she would've stopped to laugh.  
She flung open the front door without bothering to close it behind her. She didn't care, not today.  
"Mom?" She called out heading straight for the stairs.  
"Honey, we're in the living room." Her mother replied.  
Her mother was half lying on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her legs. Her father was sitting next to her watching television, not looking as devastated as Joey had expected him to be.  
"Where did you go?" Joey asked innocently, gesturing at her mother's high heel clad feet instead of the usual slippers she wore at home.  
"Just out." She said nonchalantly.  
"Just out." Joey repeated.   
"To where?" She asked in her cheeriest voice, seating herself next to her mom.  
Her father raised an eyebrow, but her mother just smiled at her.  
"To the hospital." She said honestly. She must've known that she had overheard it all.  
"Oh" Joey trailed off guiltily. She waited for her mom to continue.  
"And they said that it was just a flu." She said with a smile.  
Joey practically fell off the seat.  
"Flu?" She choked out.  
"Nothing a week of rest can't fix." Her mom said reassuringly.  
"Are you sure?" She asked.  
Her mother had a worried look on her face as Joey asked her that question.  
"Are you sure that he didn't say anything else? Maybe you should get a second opini-"  
"Your mother is fine. You should be happy. It's good news." Her father said abruptly.  
Her mother intervened and placed her hand on his arm, preventing him from saying anything further.   
She turned around, smoothed Joey's hair back then said gently, "I'm not going anywhere. I promise." **

**~*~**

** Joey gently rubbed her mother's back as her mother coughed hard.  
It was impossible. There was no way that it was only a flu. How was this even impossible?  
Joey tried to swallow the lump in her throat. There was no way that she could convince her mother into getting a second opinion.   
"Joey?" Bessie knocked on the door gently.  
Joey ignored her.   
"Pacey is here. He's waiting by the dock." With that she closed the door.  
Joey wiped the sweat from her mother's forehead before heading downstairs.  
There he was sitting on the dock waving away the flies that hung around him.  
"Maybe you should take a shower for once." She said as she sat down next to him.  
"Hey." He smiled.  
"So let me see" She put her finger on her chin and pretended to think.  
"Dawson asked you to come over because I was acting weird as per usual." She grumbled.  
He didn't reply.  
"God, when will that boy ever learn?" She half shouted in an exasperated voice.  
"Jo.."  
"I'm under enough stress as it is already. Does he have to do this? Now?" She babbled on angrily.  
"What stress?"  
"Huh?" She gave him a confused look.  
"You said you were under stress." He reminded her.  
"Oh that. Nothing." She waved the problem away as if it were a fly.  
"Nothing as in 'it's really nothing' or nothing as in 'you don't wanna talk about it nothing'?" He grinned.  
"Pace, shut up." She rolled her eyes.  
"Hey, I'm just trying to help." He shrugged.  
"I don't need or want your help and you can go tell Dawson that too." She began to get up.  
"He didn't ask." He blurted out.  
"What?" She scratched her head.  
"Thought you didn't need my help." He smirked, refusing to tell her what he had meant.  
"Very funny. This is just another ploy to get me all annoyed isn't it?" She crossed her arms.  
"I'm not falling for it." She shook her head.   
When he didn't say anything, she just turned around and headed back to her house.  
"Dawson!" Pacey shouted after her. "He didn't ask me to come over." He continued.  
She smiled to herself as his words sunk in.  
"Thanks." She shouted back at him then waved before running into the house.**

  
**Yoshhh **


	7. 7

**Matter Of Time**

**Part 7**

** Author's Note: I watched Peggy Sue got married and was bored out of my mind. So I wrote a fic. Same idea as the movie. Hope it won't be too confusing. **

**~*~**

**Joey moved the pea on her plate then pushed it around so that it skated across the glass surface.  
"Honey, is something wrong?" Her mother asked in a genuinely worried voice.  
"Nothing." She let out a sigh.  
She popped the abused piece of vegetable in her mouth, chewing it slowly as if she were savoring the taste.   
"How was school?" Her mother tried to strike up a conversation.  
"Mom, you wouldn't believe the racism in our school!" Bessie started even though the question wasn't directed at her.  
"There is this new student in our class and no one would hang around with him." Bessie rambled on. "Just because he's not a white Caucasian." She rolled her eyes.  
"That is awful. Didn't the teachers do anything?" Her mother frowned.  
"Like they actually care. God, I hate Capeside." She spat out. "Poor Bodie." She said to herself.  
Joey's ears perked up as she heard that name.  
"Bodie?"   
"You know him?" Bessie looked at her curiously.  
"No!" She answered a little too fast.  
Their father cleared his throat, interrupting the discussion.   
"Girls, I don't want you hanging around those people." He said in a firm voice.  
"What kind of people?" Joey asked in a resentful manner.  
"Mike." Her mother said in a warning voice.  
"I'm just saying don't get mixed up with the wrong crowd."  
"That is not what you said." Bessie argued. "You don't want us to hang around with people like Bodie." Her eyes flashed with anger.   
"They deal drugs." He said matter-of-factly.  
"That is so unfair." Joey put down her fork loudly.  
He was one to talk about dealing drugs. Joey seethed with anger as she realized what a narrow-minded person her father was.  
"That's enough." Her mother intervened. "Mike, you haven't met Bodie. You don't know Bodie. Let's not judge him because of his skin color. Wouldn't that make you like the people who judged you because of your alcoholic father?" She said gently.   
The table fell into silence as her mother ended her speech.  
"Mike, let's just eat dinner. Please." She gave him a small smile, followed by a cough.  
His face softened. "Dinner it is."   
It was obvious who had won the battle.**

**~*~**

**Joey fell onto her bed.  
"Was dad always like this?" She couldn't help, but ask.  
"Like what?"  
"Like" She couldn't think of the right word.  
"A dick? C'mon Joey, where have you been? Dad has always been an asshole." Bessie replied obviously.  
"I guess I've forgotten."  
"How can you forget? He is such a hypocrite." Bessie twirled her hair with her index finger.  
Joey let out a laugh, a laugh of disgust.  
"What's so funny?" Bessie asked in a patronizing tone.  
"Nothing."  
"Your favorite word." Her sister rolled her eyes.  
"I just can't believe what he said about Bodie." Joey said sadly.  
"Stop saying his name like you know him!" Bessie scowled.  
"Sorrrrrrrrry." She said, pushing Bessie off her bed with her foot.  
"Hey!" Bessie scrambled back on the bed.   
"So how is Bodie?" She asked with concern.  
"Surprisingly he is taking it really well." Bessie responded.  
"That is the Bodie I know." Joey whispered proudly.**

**~*~**

**"Mom?" Joey shook her mother gently.   
She hated to do this, but she needed some lunch money.   
Her mother let out a lazy groan and tried to sit up. Her weak body made it difficult. Joey bit down on her lips.   
"The dresser." Her mother tried to wave her pale hand towards it, but her bony limbs just hung loosely on her wrist.  
The brown purse sat alone on the dresser. Joey stood up and walked towards it. Her fingers moved on their own accords. She stood holding the five-dollar bill in her hand for a full minute. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the reflection that stared back at her. The girl had red swollen eyes with rings of despair underneath them. She was barely recognizable. She closed her eyes, trying to remember what she had looked like in her prom dress, trying to remember the person she was.  
"Honey, you are going to be late." Her mother woke her up from her thoughts.  
Joey opened her eyes and blinked rapidly. She wasn't sure which girl she liked more. The girl desperately trying to save someone or the girl who was waiting to be saved. **

**~*~**

**"Potter, are you actually daydreaming?" Pacey jabbed her in the rib lightly.  
She ignored his comment and sighed.  
"During study hall?" He gasped.   
"What is the world coming to?" He continued to tease her.  
"Knock it off, Pace." She rolled her eyes and laid her head on the table.  
He followed her action, his head mere inches away from hers. Silence followed as they stayed in that position, staring right at each other.  
"Do you believe in second chances?" She asked quietly.  
"Depends." His answer caused a slight vibration against the wooden table.  
"If you could go back and change anything, would you?"  
"Back in time?" He raised an eyebrow.  
"Forget it." She quickly stopped discussing this subject any further. She didn't need another person who thought she was mentally ill.  
"Nothing. I wouldn't change a thing." He answered, surprising her.  
"Nothing?" Her brows came together.  
"I don't want to live my life worrying about regrets. I want to live knowing that amongst all those mistakes, I have done one thing right."  
"You know, you're quite a character." She softly placed her hand on top of his.  
His eyes darted quickly towards where they were joined.  
"Study hall is over." He lifted his head from the table then slowly pulled his hand away in an uncomfortable manner.   
"We better get going then." She said quickly, trying to keep the hurt from showing.**

  
**Yoshhh **


	8. 8

**Matter Of Time**

**Part 8**

** Author's Note: I watched Peggy Sue got married and was bored out of my mind. So I wrote a fic. Same idea as the movie. Hope it won't be too confusing. **

**~*~**

**The rest of the day was just like any other day. When the last bell rang, students poured out into the hallway. Joey tried to work her way to her locker as fast as she could. Not long ago she had been close to graduating and now she was back at square one.   
"Joey!" A familiar face called out from next to her locker.  
She quickened her step.  
"Need a ride home?" Pacey asked.  
She frowned a little. She was confused by all the mixed signals he was sending her way. First he was comforting her then when she touched him; he flinched as if she had a disease.  
"Dawson had to go home right away." He explained, mistaking the look on her face for something else.  
"So what? You need the ride or what?" He tapped his foot impatiently.  
"I think I'm just going to walk." She dismissed him with a wave of her hand.  
"If you say so." He shrugged then started to walk away.  
"I was just kidding." She grabbed his arm then rolled her eyes.  
"I knew that." He rolled his eyes back at her.  
"Bite me." She narrowed her eyes into slits.  
She walked past him and turned the locker combination.  
"Potter, that has to be worst comeback I've ever heard."   
She ignored him and kept piling books into her backpack.  
"I mean that is something you say when you can't think of anything else to say." He continued.  
"I could kill Dawson for doing this." She grumbled under her breath.  
"I'm not all bad. I'm quite a character." He grinned smugly at her.  
How did she know that that comment would come back and bite her in the ass?  
"Come on, let's go. I don't have all day." He started to walk ahead of her.  
"God, I'm coming! I'm coming!" She shouted, breaking into a small jog to catch up with him.  
He swung open the door and held it for her as she walked through.  
"Thanks." She murmured.  
"Stop being so polite. It's creepy." He mumbled as he unlocked the chain on his bicycle.  
"Pace, that is your ride?" She was stunned.  
"Hey, this is a great bike." He looked offended.  
"No I'm just nothing." She stammered. Once again she had forgotten the fact that he was too young to drive.   
"Be nice." He narrowed his eyes then got on the bike.  
She rolled her eyes and perched herself behind him.  
"Great bike, Pace." Her voice was laced with sarcasm.  
For the next ten minutes, all that filled the air was the wind and the sound of Pacey's heavy breathing. She took in the scenery and smiled at how things had managed to stay relatively unchanged.  
"Pacey?" She rested her cheek against his strong back, listening to the rapid beating of his heart.  
"Thank you." She whispered.  
She felt him stiffen.  
"Why are you doing this?" He asked quietly.  
His question took her aback and she stammered, trying to find a plausible answer to his question.  
"Why are you being so nice to me? Why are you being my friend?" He sputtered.  
She tightened her grip around his waist.  
"We've always been friends. I don't know what you are talking about." She knew it was a lie and so did he.   
"Ever since you fell off the swing at Peter's house, you've transformed into this person." He sounded so confused.  
"Are you brain damaged? Is that why you are hanging around me?"   
Her voice caught in her throat. It hurt her that he thought something had to be wrong with her in order for her to hang out with him.   
"Pacey, don't say that. We've always been friends. Even when we fight and argue, deep inside we've always cared about each other and been friends."   
"We have?" He asked, not expecting a reply.  
"Pace" She trailed off.   
What could she say? She was at a loss for words. She hated that she had been too young to realize the emotional scars she had inflicted on him. It seemed to be a reoccurring pattern, even in the future.  
"Forget what I just said." He shrugged lightly.  
Her shoulders sagged as she realized this would be another discussion they would never finish.   
"So are you going to go on that field trip at Lake Emmingville?" He was quick to change the topic.  
"I don't know." She answered truthfully.   
It was a school trip and they would be spending two nights at the lake, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to leave her mother's side. She knew how the trip would end. She would get homesick and go back home early. Dawson had left with her out of concern. The fact that her mother's health was deteriorating rapidly scared her and she needed a plan. She needed to find a way so that her father would know about the cancer growing inside her mother. **

**~*~**

**Joey watched as her mother neatly folded her pajamas.   
"You don't have to do this." She placed a hand on her mom's arm, stilling her movement.  
"I do it because I want to." She smiled lovingly.  
Joey kept quiet, enjoying the brief moment the mother and daughter shared without any interruptions.  
"Try not to stay up too late." Her mother said.  
"I won't." She reassured her.  
Her mom piled the clothes and placed them in Joey's black backpack then patted it lightly.  
"Maybe this is a bad idea. I'm not sure if I should go. It's going to be stupid. Just a bunch of noisy kids goofing around." Joey chewed on her bottom lip.  
"Enjoy it while you can. When you are grown up, you can't do any of those things." Her mom laughed softly.  
"Enjoy it while I can." Joey repeated to herself.  
"You'll have fun. The lake is beautiful. Besides, isn't Dawson going?"  
"Yeah." Joey answered without any enthusiasm.  
Her mother glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and abruptly got up.  
"Looks like you are all set." She smiled then excused herself, closing the door behind her.  
Joey frowned, puzzled at her sudden departure. She quietly opened her bedroom door and tiptoed towards the slightly open bathroom door. She could hear rummaging and the click of a plastic bottle being opened. She carefully leaned in as close as she could and peered inside. On the counter were five orange bottles of pills. The doctor must've given them to her. She watched in horror as her mother took out some pills then popped them into her mouth. She turned on the faucet and washed the pills down with tap water. She then proceeded to hide the pills inside a bouquet of potpourri, making sure that they wouldn't be found. Satisfied with the job, she smoothed her hair back and opened the door. Joey took a giant step back as her mother gasped in surprise.  
"I just needed to use the bathroom." Joey muttered an excuse then quickly slipped inside, leaving her mother in deep thoughts.**

**~*~**

**Dinner was quiet. Her father looked exhausted from work and so did her mother. She had insisted on making dinner and it had drained her of her energy. As they gathered around the round table, each deep in their thoughts, the only sound was the scraping of silverware on their plates. Bessie was picking at her food and her father didn't even scold her while her mother's plate was barely touched. It was hard to believe that for the better part of her life, Joey had yearned for her childhood days. How deceiving a young child's mind could be. She had only remembered the good days, forgetting the bad ones. Her father cleared his throat and carried his plate to the sink. With their mother sick, he had taken on many of the house chores. Bessie followed him, not bothering to finish her dinner, to assist him. Her sister had always been close to dad. She was his first-born, his princess. For many years she had his undivided attention, while Joey had always had to share.   
Her mother coughed hard in her seat, trying to stifle it. Finally she rose and left the room. Joey swallowed the lump in her throat and stuffed her little mouth with food, needing to fill the emptiness she felt inside of her.**

**~*~**

**"Joey!" Bessie yelled from downstairs.   
Joey grabbed her backpack and started to descend the stairs.  
"Have fun at the lake." Her father said from behind as he headed for the bathroom.  
At that moment, she felt the adrenaline run through her body, causing her to act out of pure instinct.  
"My toothbrush!" She shouted then pushed him out of the way, slamming the door behind her.  
She could hear her father on the other side of the door, lecturing her about preparation. She leaned against the door for support and held her breath. Her hands reached for the potpourri and sought the pills she knew her mother had hidden. She strategically placed them so that her father wouldn't be able to miss the orange bottles. She let out a sigh and collected herself before opening the door again.  
"Got all your stuff?" He narrowed his eyes.  
She didn't reply, but hugged him tightly, taking both of them by surprise.  
Don't disappoint me, she pleaded silently and ran down the stairs.  
Her mother stood next to Bessie, who wore a scowl.  
"Sorry." Joey said sheepishly.  
"Remember what I told you about staying up late." Her mother said quickly.  
"Don't worry mom." Joey tiptoed to hug her.  
"Have fun!" Her mother called out as the two girls walked out the door.  
"I'll see you in two days!" Joey waved back.**

  
**Yoshhh **


	9. 9

**Matter Of Time**

**Part 9**

** Author's Note: I watched Peggy Sue got married and was bored out of my mind. So I wrote a fic. Same idea as the movie. Hope it won't be too confusing. **

**~*~**

**Joey grinned as Pacey held Dawson in a headlock. She didn't think she would be able to enjoy herself, but she was wrong. She had forgotten what it was like to be a kid.  
"Children!" Miss. Grace, their homeroom teacher, shouted above the laughter.   
Once everyone quieted down, she picked up the activity sheet and smiled brightly.  
"I want everyone in groups of two." She said loudly.  
"Groups of two!" She repeated.  
Joey glanced at Dawson and saw his crestfallen face. He looked at Pacey then at her.  
"I will just-" Pacey started.  
"I'll go find another partner. It's okay." She cut him off.  
"Are you sure?" The two boys asked.  
"I'm sure I'll manage." She rolled her eyes.  
She looked around for some unfortunate soul, who was just as partner-less as she was.  
"Who doesn't have a partner?" Miss. Grace asked.  
Joey raised her hand; red-faced and she could see the pity on her friends' faces.  
"Perfect!" The teacher purred then pushed Joey and a chubby boy together.  
"Josephine Potter and Warren Gerry, have fun." She patted them gently on the head.  
Joey gritted her teeth as the shy boy looked at her.  
"What? Do I have something on my face?" She barked.  
He flinched and looked away quickly.   
It was incredible that this little bundle of fat was Warren. Too bad later on, they would develop into muscles, earning him a place in the football team.  
"So" He tried to start a conversation, but she glared at him.  
"Play nice kids." Miss Grace said sternly.  
He handed her the pencil for their little activity. She snatched it and frowned. They had to list the type of flowers that grew around the lake.   
"Let's go look over there." He gave her a genuine smile and pointed to a deserted spot.  
The same genuine smile he gave her when he had offered her a ride to school then told everyone that they had sex.  
"You wish!" She shoved past him to a crowded area.  
He kept a distance from her for he was nervous about getting too close to her.  
"Try to keep up." She narrowed her eyes at him.  
His lips quivered and his face got red. She found herself wondering if she had gone too far. After all, he couldn't be held responsible for his future actions.  
"Warren, I-" She began to apologize.  
"You're going to regret this. I'll get you back some day." He said through gritted teeth.  
She had just sealed her fate. She tried to make it up to him by being nice all day, but at the back of her mind, she knew Warren Gerry would offer her a ride to school years from now.**

**~*~**

**Joey turned in her sleeping blanket. She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep, but all she could hear were deep breathing from the two bodies next to her. Diane and Kristy had spent two hours gossiping about the latest fashion trend and boys. Joey had kept close to her side of the tent, which wasn't much and feigned sleep. She stifled a giggle or two at how stupid her classmates sounded. Now they were fast asleep and she was wide-awake. It was strange how uncomfortable she felt next to them. She shifted once more and let out a sigh. At this rate she would be spending the next day carrying heavy bags under her eyes. She slowly peeled the sleeping bag from her body, not wanting to wake the girls, and sat up quietly. She got on all four and reached for the opening of the tent. She cringed as the sound of the zipper being pulled down, filled the tiny space. She crawled out of the stuffy tent and breathed in. Her mom was right. The lake was breathtaking and so far she had enjoyed the trip. She trudged along the unfamiliar path, stumbled a couple of times before she found what she had been looking for. She crouched down and tried to be as silent as possible. She opened the flap of the tent and took a peek inside. Two figures were fast asleep, snoring softly. Her lips curled up and she crawled in between them.  
"Joey?" Dawson stirred from his sleep, rubbing his eyes.  
"Couldn't sleep." She whispered.   
He moved over to give her more space and put his arm out so that she could use it as a pillow.  
"Thanks." She smiled.  
She snuggled up and closed her eyes. Within a few seconds, she could hear him snore. She listened to his breathing and hummed to herself, hoping that would help her fall asleep. It took her a while for her to realize that she was humming to a lullaby her mother used to sing when she was a kid. The memories of her soft voice, her smell and touch made Joey blink rapidly, trying to keep the tears from spilling.   
"Why did you stop?" A voice startled her.**

**  
~*~**

**"Push it in, Pace."  
"I'm trying. It's too tight." He gritted his teeth.  
"Deeper." She urged.  
"Spread it wider with your fingers." He said with frustration.  
"Ugh." She groaned.  
"I give up!" He threw his arms in the air.  
Today's activity was survival skills and they were trying to make a shelter. All they had was a poncho, two long ropes, and six sharpened sticks about 30 centimeters long. They had decided to build a small tent with the aid of two trees.  
"Just my luck to be stuck with a sleazebucket as a partner." She frowned.  
He stood up and brushed the dirt from his shorts.   
"Where are you going?" She asked.  
"I'm going to check out how Dawson's doing. I'll be back with ideas." He grinned then jogged off.  
"Great. Just leave me all alone in this creepy wood." She shivered a little.  
She leaned against the tree trunk and brushed away insects, which were flying around her.  
"I know I need a shower." She muttered.  
She raised her head and stared up at the beautiful sky. One more day and she would be back home.   
"I'm back." Pacey's voice rang.  
"We should move to another location. That branch up there looks like it has been rotting for some time now. It could fall onto our shelter." She pointed out, still looking up.  
"Nonsense. This place is perfect."   
She shrugged and changed the subject. "So how is Dawson doing?"   
He waved a little piece of paper and grinned. They quickly went to work, tying the ropes around the tree trunks, following the scrawls of instructions on the paper. After a couple of mishaps they had the tent up barely. They scrambled inside and waited as their teacher had instructed.   
Joey played with her shoelaces hoping this awkward moment would come to an end soon. He looked around and whistled a tune familiar to her ears.  
Her eyes got wide as she realized he was whistling to the lullaby. When she heard his voice last night, she had feigned sleep, hoping he would go back to sleep. She was right. Today he didn't utter a word about it to her. Until now.   
"What song was it? I can't get it out of my head." He scratched his head.  
"Just something my mother used to sing to me as a child." She shrugged.  
"I like it." He went back to whistling.  
She closed her eyes and listened as the music filled her ears.  
"How can you do that?" She asked.  
"Do what?" He paused.  
"Remember a tune you have only heard once. Just like that." She marveled.  
"I guess I am talented. I don't know." He let out a nervous laugh.  
"You know, you are a whole lot smarter than you think. I think that if you only apply yourself a little-"   
"Potter, I get enough of that from my English teacher." He interrupted her lecture. "God, I hate that class. I don't understand why I have to take the class. I speak English, don't I?"  
She tried to stifle a giggle. Time would only tell how much Pacey Witter would enjoy English or maybe she should say, the English Teacher.  
"What?" He noticed the look on her face.  
"Just do me a favor, Pace. Don't sleep with any of your teachers. Believe me, it never works out as well as you think."   
He gave her a confused look and started to say something when a loud crash of thunder roared above them. They both jumped in their seat. They could feel the strong breeze shake the small tent and they looked at each other, horrified.  
"We should try to get back to Miss. Grace." Joey said with urgency.  
"We'll never make it back. I think we should stay here. This is after all a shelter." He tried to reason with her.  
"A shelter two kids made." She pointed out.  
She closed her eyes as drops of rain fell onto the poncho.  
"I told you we wouldn't make it back." He said shakily.  
She scrambled to her feet and ran out of the tent.  
"Where are you going?" he shouted after her.  
"Rocks to hold the tent down." She answered, searching on the ground as the heavy rain beat down on her.  
He climbed out and helped her and soon they had the vulnerable tent nailed to the ground. For a brief second she looked up at the dark sky and her mouth dropped open.   
"Let's get back inside." He pulled her by the arm.   
They sat in the tent, panting and scared to death.  
"Do you think we'll sur-" He started.  
"Stop it! It is just stupid rain." She snapped.   
"We will get through this." Her voice softened.   
She had forgotten that he was still a child and terrified. They flinched as another gust of wind brushed past the tent, shaking it violently.  
"Potter, if I don't make it, tell my mom that I love her. Tell Dawson that he can have my baseball glove." He blurted out.  
"Pacey!" She shook his shoulders with her hands.  
"Don't do this to me. I need you." Tears stung her eyes as she willed the young boy to transform into the man, who had comforted her so many times.  
"I am scared." He admitted.  
"I am too." She reached for his hand and laced her fingers through his.  
A loud crack brought them back to the present situation. It was the sound of the rotten wood finally giving way to the strong wind and she felt a heavy knock on her head, a torn shriek, hers or Pacey's, she didn't remember. Her fingers reached up to the wet liquid sliding down her face. Her hand was soaked red and still she didn't understand what was happening. Her head grew light and her surrounding whirled around her.   
"Joey!" Pacey screamed as she slumped against him.  
"You are bleeding." He looked terrified. "What do I do?"   
Her eyes started to close, but she willed them to stay open.   
"Joey! Don't die! Tell me what to do!" He shouted hysterically.  
"Don't forget me." She pleaded.  
"Don't die!" His voice was suffocated with sobs.  
"Don't forget me." She whispered as her heavy eyes finally closed.**

  
**Yoshhh **


	10. 10

**Matter Of Time**

**Part 10**

** Author's Note: I watched Peggy Sue got married and was bored out of my mind. So I wrote a fic. Same idea as the movie. Hope it won't be too confusing. **

**~*~**

**Joey smiled as she woke to a soft singing voice.   
"Mom?" She asked, her eyes still closed.  
"I just had the strangest dream." She chuckled.  
"Joey." A gentle voice called out and a hand smoothed her hair.  
"I'm glad I didn't go on that trip." She sighed still half asleep.  
"Joey." The voice sounded much more desperate this time.  
"Mom?" Joey slowly opened her eyes, but winced at the harsh bright light.  
"She's awake!" A woman's voice cried out with relief.  
Joey rubbed her eyes in confusion.   
"Mom?" She called out with fear in her voice.   
"Joey. Shhhh." A soothing voice said, hugging her gently.  
Joey clung on and shut her eyes tightly, needing to hang on to her mother.  
"The doctors are coming." A male voice said softly.  
The arms, which held her, released her and the woman pulled away. Joey opened her eyes and let out a cry.  
"What's wrong?" Bessie reached for her again, but Joey brushed her hands aside.  
"No!" Joey shouted furiously.   
She looked around and realized that she was in a hospital room.   
"Where is mom?" She choked back a sob.  
"Joey." Bessie reached for her again.  
"No! Don't you touch me! I want mom!" Joey pushed her sister away.  
"You can't. You know that." Bessie said shakily.  
"I want mom." Joey let out a sob.  
She pushed the blanket down and started to get up, but her body refused to comply and she fell back.   
"Mom!" She screamed hysterically.  
"Joey, don't do this. Please don't do this." Bessie pleaded as she cried openly.  
Strong hands held Joey down and pinned her to the bed. She kicked and tried to get out of their grasp, but the men were stronger than she was. A man in a white coat came towards her with a long needle.   
"You'll be okay Josephine." He tried to calm her down.  
He flicked the syringe a couple of times before bringing it to her arm and sticking it into her vein. Bessie stood at the foot of the bed, looking scared. Joey's eyes burned with anguish and anger as she realized she was being sedated. She didn't need this. She only needed her mom. Why couldn't they understand that?  
"I want mom." Joey repeated softly like it was a mantra over and over again.**

**~*~**

**Joey sat on the chair and waited. Her eyes were red from the nights she had spent crying in her bed. Bessie had tried to discourage her from coming here, but she had to. She had to come see him.   
A loud beep signaled his arrival and she stood up. Her father walked towards the table, which stood between them and sat down.  
"Are you okay? I heard about" He left off.  
"Yes." She said flatly.   
The doctor had been surprised that she had been uninjured. It was only her sanity that he questioned.  
"I didn't know I didn't think you would ever come here again." He said sadly.  
"I had to. I had to come and ask you." Her voice quivered, betraying the cool expression on her face.  
He looked nervous, but nodded for her to go on.  
"Why did you do it? I have asked myself over and over again. Why did you do it? Why did you hurt her?" She asked, trembling.   
"I I" He looked down, ashamed at having been a bad father and an even worse husband.  
"Why did you hurt mom?" She demanded with anger.  
Quiet spectators in the room murmured to themselves as they watched this painful scene unfold.  
"I was wrong. I was angry. I couldn't forgive her." He buried his head in his hands.  
"She hid the fact that she had cancer from me. I was so angry when I found those pills in the bathroom" He choked back a sob as he relived the past in his mind.  
"Pills?" Joey's eyes grew wide.  
"She must've been careless that day because it was there. I saw it and got so angry." He continued.  
"Joey, I am so sorry. It was my fault. I couldn't forgive her for lying to me. I couldn't forgive her for keeping this secret from me." He shook his head and his tears fell onto the table.  
"The pills in the potpourri." She said to herself bitterly.   
It was like getting her two front-teeth knocked out.   
"I'm so sorry." He cried over and over again.  
"So am I." She pushed the chair back and got up from her seat.   
She placed one foot after another until she was out of the confined prison. Her chest heaved and she held a hand over her mouth. Her eyes blurred from the tears she had managed to keep hidden from her father.   
"Joey?" A voice called out.   
She slowly made her way to the figure standing next to the car.  
"Potter" He started to say when she raised a hand to stop him.  
He nodded and opened the door for her. She climbed in and stared straight ahead. He walked over to his side of the car and slipped in, starting the engine. He knew something had gone terribly wrong. He didn't question her. They had a whole lifetime for that. Now she just needed his comfort, his presence. He shifted the gear and the car started to move, leaving behind the past and hurt.  
She closed her eyes and let the tears spill down her cheeks as she felt the bitterness of disappointment. **

***** THE END *****

  
**Yoshhh **


End file.
